Junior research scientist on proteolytic peptides and long-distance signalling in source-sink relationships

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INRAE presentation

INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, is a public research organization bringing together 12,000 employees across 272 units in 18 centers across France. As the world’s leading institute specializing in agriculture, food, and the environment, INRAE plays a key role in supporting the necessary transitions to address global challenges.

Faced with population growth, food security challenges, climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss, INRAE is committed to developing scientific solutions and supporting the evolution of agricultural, food, and environmental practices.

INRAE is recruiting researchers by open competition and offering permanent position.

Work environment, missions and activities

You will work within the Jean Pierre Bourgin Institute - Plant Science (IJPB), one of the largest plant biology research centres in Europe. The IJPB is an INRAE-AgroParisTech unit comprising 300 staff located on the INRAE Versailles site. IJPB has remarkable infrastructures for growing a variety of plant species, as well as cytology, chemistry, and biochemistry platforms with open access for its staff. This unit is easily accessible via RER C and line N; there are also several bus lines and a cycle path. The centre has a catering service and proposes a wide variety of sports and cultural activities to its staff. INRAE Versailles benefits from a privileged environment with direct access to the Palace of Versailles park, its proximity to Paris, as well as numerous forests and villages.

You will join the SATURNE team (https://ijpb.versailles.inrae.fr/en/research-teams/senescence-autophagy-nutrient-recycling-and-nitrogen-use-efficiency/presentation) that studies the mechanisms of autophagy and nutritional recycling to find biotechnological solutions to improve the efficiency of nitrogen use throughout the whole plant. This team comprises two research directors, one research engineer, and a technician.

Autophagy and proteolysis, which generate degradation products including proteolytic peptides, are major actors in source-sink relationships and the response of plants to stress. You will develop multi-scale molecular physiology approaches to study the signalling and systemic role of phloem peptides of proteolytic origin in source-sink relationships. You will explore the diversity of these peptides in proteolysis and autophagy mutants at various stages of development and under different nitrogen regimes. Regarding the analytical aspects, you will collaborate with the partner proteomics and metabolomics platforms. By adding to the datasets already available, you will be able to select candidate proteolytic peptides to study source-sink relationships and develop the approaches required for their functional study. To study the mobility and modes of action of the peptides, you will benefit from the host team’s expertise in phenotyping and multiomics. To search for targets of the peptide signal, you will be required to use biochemistry and artificial intelligence tools drawing on the team’s collaborative network. Technical solutions to modulate interesting peptide signals will be explored using biotechnologies or biostimulation processes. 
You will define and establish experimental designs and trials on plants (growing conditions, plant material) and carry out the functional physiology and genomics experiments required for the identification and functional characterisation of signal peptides. You will play a major role in the interaction with the metabolomics and peptidomics platforms in conjunction with which you will analyse the results. You will also have a prominent role in selecting the target peptides to be characterised and the impetus to be given to your subject, especially through the development of collaborations. You will be required to answer calls for projects, search for funding, present and publish your research, and supervise students. 

To help you with these missions, you will have the support of the members of the host team and, at your request, help from the continuous learning division.

Your future role explained in video

Training and skills

Competition open to candidates with a PhD (or equivalent).
An interest in and facility with integrative physiology approaches and a good command of molecular biology and biochemistry tools are highly recommended.

A good command of the statistical analysis of datasets, knowledge in metabolism, an interest in omics approaches, and basic knowledge in plant nutrition would be highly desirable. 

An understanding of the chemical analysis of small molecules and an understanding of pharmacological and analytical approaches would be desirable. 

Good communication skills, the ability to work in a team and in collaboration, as well as ease of appropriation of new approaches/technologies and good writing skills would be desirable.
Candidates should have a good command of English, and long-term international experience would also be desirable. Successful candidates who have not yet acquired this experience abroad will be required to do so after their probationary period (1st year).

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from:

- 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

For international scientists: please visit your guide to facilitate your arrival and stay at INRAE. 

How to apply

1. I download the applicant guide Guide for applicants 2026 pdf - 1.41 MB
2. I write down the profile number CR26-BAP-5
3. I apply GO